


Oh, My Foolish Heart

by blankie



Series: Bosom Friends to Lovers [1]
Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Bosom Friends to Lovers, F/F, Femslash, First Kiss, First Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gilbert Blythe is an Ally, Period-Typical Homophobia, Pining, Season/Series 02, this was supposed to be short....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2019-08-24
Packaged: 2020-09-25 22:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20379058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blankie/pseuds/blankie
Summary: Sunlight falls gently through the window, and the flowers on the tree sway gently in the window. The smell of fresh air floats in through the window, mingling with the sweet, effervescent scent of flowers. Anne runs her brush gently through Diana’s dark locks, trying to untangle knots without hurting her.Diana sighs and closes her eyes – Anne pauses to watch Diana’s eyelids flutter and feels her heart beat faster in her chest. It’s a curious feeling, and not one Anne’s ever felt before.





	Oh, My Foolish Heart

Diana’s hair falls across Anne’s lap like a blanket – it feels soft like one, too. Anne sits on her bed while Diana lays across it, her head cradled in Anne’s lap. Sunlight falls gently through the window, and the flowers on the tree sway gently in the window. The smell of fresh air floats in through the window, mingling with the sweet, effervescent scent of flowers. Anne runs her brush gently through Diana’s dark locks, trying to untangle knots without hurting her.

The two girls had been on their way home from school when Diana’s hair was ensnared in a tree branch. In trying to free her hair, Anne and Diana had created some of the worst knots either girl had ever seen. Diana insisted she couldn’t go home looking like a bird had tried to nest in her hair because her mother would throw an absolute fit. So, Anne had suggested that they both head back to Green Gable’s – Marilla was out anyways, and Matthew was working in the barn so neither of them would be disturbed. Plus, Anne had just got a new brush, so it wouldn’t be too weird to share. Diana had quickly agreed when a few minutes of finger combing had proved futile, and that’s how they ended up here.

They start out chattering about anything and everything, like they always do, but as Anne strokes the brush through Diana’s hair, something in the air changes. Anne slows down, relishing the feeling of Diana’s hair in her hands and knowing that the faster she untangles Diana’s hair, the faster she must get up, taking her glorious warmth with her.

Diana sighs and closes her eyes – Anne pauses to watch Diana’s eyelids flutter and feels her heart beat faster in her chest. It’s a curious feeling, and not one Anne’s ever felt before. It feels like she’s just run a million miles, or maybe like she’s just jolted awake from a nightmare. Except, neither of those are quite right, because Anne doesn’t feel tired or scared – she feels warmth and a strange sort of reverence.

“Anne?” Diana says softly, and Anne startles, focusing her eyes back to Diana’s. Her best friend is looking at her inquisitively. “Are all the knots gone?”

Anne forces her mind to come back to her body and shakes her head.

“No,” she says, “sorry, I just got caught up in my imagination.” Diana chuckles, closing her eyes again. This time, Anne stoutly turns her face away and towards her task. Her eyes don’t linger on Diana’s eyelashes or the positively regal slope of her nose. Instead, they look for knots in the dark hair laid in her lap.

\--

It takes about ten minutes, but finally Anne is done. Well, the detangling takes about seven minutes – Anne can’t help but brush her friend’s hair for just a little longer than necessary. Putting the brush down, Anne opens her mouth to tell Diana, moving to get up. Her jostling moves Diana but instead of spurring to action Diana instead lets out a little puff of air and tries to burrow deeper into Anne’s lap. Anne freezes immediately – her best most cherished friend is asleep in her lap and she doesn’t know what to _do_.

For a moment she’s too frozen to do anything but think – this surely is a moral quandary. Does she wake Diana? Does she gently move aside and let her friend sleep in her bed until Marilla gets home (because Diana has been looking dreadfully tried as of late)? Anne’s train of thought is forcefully derailed as her eye catches on Diana’s face. With her eyes closed and face deep in slumber, Diana looks almost more beautiful asleep than she does awake. There is no worry present in the creases of her mouth or pretend maturity in her brow. The only thing that could make her more beautiful right now is her smile – the one that beams whenever she laughs at Anne’s jokes. Her lips, however, demand the most of Anne’s attention. They look pink and ever so soft, slightly parted as Diana breathes slowly. Despite herself Anne feels her hand lifting to touch them and she must grab it before she can wake Diana.

Anne’s heart is doing the strange pitter-patter again and this time it isn’t stopping. No, as she looks adoringly upon Diana it only seems to grow stronger until it feels so loud Anne must look away for fear she might wake Diana. But she can only bear it for a minute before she must look back.

Once again, Anne is preoccupied with Diana’s lips. This is normal, right? Like that one time they sat in Anne’s room and described each other’s lips – Anne’s only looking for research purposes…. Right? As she takes in the form of her sleeping friend Anne lets her mind drift and soon enough her imagination takes over, as it is wont to do. In the time it takes to blink Anne is suddenly in her minds eye, imagining herself leaning down and _kissing_ Diana. But that’s not all – no, Diana kisses _back_, waking up and wrapping her arms around Anne and –

Anne jolts out of her daydream so hard she practically falls off the bed. This, of course, wakes Diana up which only makes things worse. Because now Anne must look Diana in the eye and explain _why_ she hadn’t woken Diana up, all while being unable to get the imagine of their lips connecting out of her head.

“I- Anne, did I fall asleep?” Diana exclaims, looking out the window to check where the sun is in the sky. She’s hurriedly fluffing her hair and readjusting her dress – her cheeks are also rather red, and she doesn’t look at Anne once, but Anne doesn’t notice. She’s too busy having red cheeks and avoiding Diana’s gaze herself.

“Yes, but – but only for a little bit!” Anne hurries to reassure her, getting off the bed and brushing off her lap as if she can erase all evidence that anything happened. “I only just finished. Those were some _dreadful_ knots.”

“Oh, yes, I can imagine.” Diana says, and then she’s up and out the door before Anne can protest. “W-well I must be home now! Mother will be expecting me, I’m sure.”

Anne lifts her hand to wave before realizing that her friend is long gone. The moment she hears the door downstairs slam she flops onto her bed and covers her face in her hands. _What_ was that? Recounting the way her cheeks and flushed, the butterflies in her stomach, and the way her mind was racing, Anne determines that she must be ill. She places the back of her hand to her forehead, as if she could feel her own temperature.

Well, she doesn’t _feel_ hot, but it’s usually up to the adults to determine these things so Anne leaves her room to seek out Matthew. He’s busy working in the barn with Jerry but Anne doesn’t worry about interrupting them – Matthew’s never minded.

“Matthew!” Anne exclaims, some (a lot) of distress in her voice. Matthew jumps and turns in surprise, his eyes wide and face pale as Anne advances towards him like a woman on a mission.

“A-Anne?” he stammers, “what’s wrong? Are ya hurt?” Anne shakes her head and grabs his large hand, pulling off his glove and placing it on her forehead.

“Am I warm?” she demands, “Have I taken a fever?” Matthew looks at her like she’s crazy, but he does as she asked and keeps his hand on her forehead as he ponders. Jerry has stopped his work and is staring at them both, brow crinkled. Anne takes a moment to stick her tongue out at him.

“No, I don’t believe you have.” Matthew finally says, putting his glove back on. “Why?”

Anne isn’t listening – she’s too busy thinking. So, an illness of the body is ruled out – this isn’t a flu. That only leaves…

“Oh, Matthew,” Anne cries, tears immediately springing to her eyes. “I think I’ve gone mad!” Now both Jerry _and_ Matthew are staring at her like she’s lost her mind (which isn’t helping), with no small amount of concern on both their parts. Before either of them can muster a word, Anne is taking off, sobbing back to the house.

She can’t be mad; she just can’t be! She’s read all about mad scientist in her novels and in fiction it’s all well and good, but Anne’s seen what happens to mad men and women in real life. The asylum drew all kinds of strange folk, and Anne knows where the mad men and women who come banging on the doors go. They get carried away by the police, never to be seen again. An older girl at the asylum had once told her that they take the mad folks away and electrocute them to death! Anne can’t be electrocuted to death – that’s a very non-romantic way to die indeed. Anne would much rather die in field at night, staring up at the twinkling stars, or maybe lying across the bosom of her soulmate who’s died oh so tragically before her – she can’t do that if she’s _mad_.

Anne spends the rest of the evening sobbing into her pillow, wailing about madness instead of doing the homework Miss Stacey had assigned. She’s much too bereft to do anything, obviously. Anne tells this to Marilla once she arrives home, but Marilla will have none of it.

“Anne, stop your wailing this minute. You’re not going mad, I’m quite sure of that.” Marilla looks pointedly at Anne, but the redhead can’t see it from where she has her face pressed into her waterlogged pillow. “Now, get up and help me prepare supper. _Now_, Anne.” She snaps when Anne doesn’t move so much as a muscle.

It takes a moment, but soon enough Anne is back on her feet, although the tears still run down her face. Marilla sees them and softens.

“Anne,” she says, bring a hand up to rub Anne’s back, “everything is fine. You’ll see, after you’ve had a hearty meal and a good sleep. Now, off to the kitchen.”

Anne goes and the meal _is _hearty but, as she goes to bed, she is still thinking about what she experienced this afternoon. She resolves to not think about it anymore, but even in her dreams it persists.

Anne dreams about Diana – except it’s not the Diana she knows. This Diana is a knight, dressed like a painting of Joan of Arc Anne had seen once. Her hair is pulled back but still cascades over her shoulders and onto the metal of her armoured chest piece. She wears a skirt made of a handsome blue; beneath it is more armour. In this peculiar dream, Diana comes to rescue Anne from where she’s been locked away by an evil witch. Except, Anne isn’t anything special and different, like Diana is. Anne is just plain old Anne – down to the freckles on her forehead and the tears in her stockings. But dream Diana doesn’t seem to notice as she sweeps Anne into her arms, carrying the redhead out into the sunlight. Then, just like in the fairy tales Anne’s read, Diana (still holding Anne in her suddenly muscular arms) leans down, her hair falling like a waterfall behind Anne’s head, and k-

“Anne! Anne, do you hear me?” Marilla yells up the stairs. Anne jolts from her dream and falls to the floor. Oh no, the symptoms from yesterday are back, except this time a thousand times worse! Hurriedly Anne thinks of what’s similar to yesterday – Miss Stacey had taught them just the other day about the scientific method. You need a hypothesis before you can come to a conclusion, so Anne hurries to create one. Yesterday the madness had come on while she was brushing Diana’s hair, and today it had come on when, in her dream, Diana had…_kissed_ her? Anne’s heart starts to beat fast again. Okay, so Anne had been dreaming about Diana, that means Diana is the common factor. That makes sense, except Anne’s with Diana _all the time_ and thinks about her even when they’re apart, so that _can’t_ be it.

Thinking harder, Anne remembers something else about the first incident. Yesterday she’d been daydreaming as well, even about the same topic. So, then, the kissing must be the cause, right? Or, is the kissing part of the symptoms? Anne has certainly never thought about _kissing_ Diana before, which makes it all the more confusing. Marilla calls up the stares again before Anne can ponder more.

“_Anne!_ You’re going to be late! Breakfast is waiting.”

Anne hurries to throw on her dress and apron, vowing to put it out of her mind until after school, when she could retreat to her hideout and thinking it over fully. Then she practically sprints down the stairs, not even bothering to braid her hair before throwing herself into her chair.

Breakfast and the walk to school are a blur – Anne barely has the presence of mind to respond to Jerry’s good-natured teasing. Miss Stacey is the only reason she manages to pay attention in class – her bright voice cuts harshly through the hazy cloud that is Anne’s mind. Her imagination keeps trying to bring back the imagine from her dream – the one where Diana’s holding her and they’re _kissing_. It truly is a conundrum – not only is the true cause of these troubling symptoms unclear, Anne doesn’t know what she’s going to do either way. Maybe she should ask Aunt Josephine if she’s ever heard of a temporary madness that makes you attracted to girls. Anne knows there are girls who want to kiss girls, but she’s never thought she might _be _one. Is she mad, or does she _like_ Diana? 

Ruby tries to get Anne’s attention multiple times throughout the day but Anne can never truly give it to her. This puts Ruby into a mood, but Anne barely notices. Diana is strangely quiet throughout the day, but Anne doesn’t notice that either. She barely says two words during lunch or during class – even Miss Stacey notices.

“Anne?” she says just after she dismisses the class. “Would you mind staying after?”

Anne swallows hard and nods. Is she in trouble? Ruby and Diana share a glance, wondering the same thing.

“Anne, I’m afraid I can’t wait. Mother wants me home right away.” Diana says to Anne, briefly brushing her hand on the redhead’s forearm. It feels like there are sparks flying under her skin where Diana’s fingers lay, and Anne feels her cheeks heat.

“T-that’s fine! See you tomorrow, Diana!” She manages to stutter. Diana smiles briefly and then her and Ruby are gone.

Soon enough only Anne and Gilbert are left in the classroom – Miss Stacey is in her office. Gilbert has his head down in a book; Anne can’t tell if he has something to ask Miss Stacey or if he just didn’t hear her release them. For the first time today, Anne isn’t thinking about Diana or kissing. Instead, she’s worrying about what Miss Stacey could possibly want. Maybe it’s about the homework she didn’t do last night? But they hadn’t gone over it today, so how would she know? Anne leans forward until her forehead hits the desk with a thump. Great, just what she needed today – more worry.

“Uh, Anne?” Gilbert’s voice makes her jump. “Are you okay?” When Anne looks up, she jumps, finding Gilbert standing right beside her desk instead of sitting across the classroom.

“Gilbert!” She exclaims. “I-I…” Why doesn’t she just lie? Tell Gilbert that everything’s fine and that she’s _definitely _not thinking about kissing her best friend, of course not. But Anne _wants_ to tell someone – she doesn’t know if she can wait until she can see Aunt Josephine. She might burst from all this thinking before then! It’s not like Gilbert would judge her, he’s too smart for such trivial prejudices. Right? Well, she’ll keep it vague, just to be safe.

“Gilbert,” Anne begins, and Gilbert raises an eyebrow at her sudden serious change in tone, “what does it feel like to _like_ someone?” Gilbert starts to open his mouth before she’s done, probably to deliver a jab in line with their academic rivalry, but when she says “_like_” he abruptly chokes. Anne gives him a minute to finish coughing, because it’s only polite.

“_What?_” Gilbert finally says and Anne goes to repeat her question but is interrupted. “No, I heard your question, I just – what – where did that come from?” Anne looks away from him, already regretting asking.

“Well, if _you_ don’t know I can always ask someone else- “

“No! It’s – it’s fine, I can answer.” He pauses, giving her another chance to change her question. “I-I suppose it feels like… butterflies? In your stomach?” Gilbert says it like a question. “You want to be with that person all the time – you’re constantly thinking about her – er, him… them? And how to make them smile and laugh…” He trails off, but when he sees how eagerly Anne is looking at him, he continues. “Uh, they make your heart beat faster and your mind race… You think about doing _stuff_ with them.” Gilbert’s cheeks turn red, but Anne is just confused.

“Stuff?” She asks.

Gilbert’s eyes stray from her eyes down to her lips, and suddenly his face is so red it looks like he’s been sunburned. Anne blinks at the sudden change.

“Gilbert?” She prompts, “Did you hear – “

“Yes!” Gilbert exclaims, and Anne startles backwards from the force he speaks with. “I – I heard you. _Stuff_ is like… _kissing_, and stuff…” He trails off awkwardly.

As Gilbert says the word kissing Anne’s mind flashes back to her dream and then her daydream from the day before, and now Anne’s face is just as red as Gilbert’s. The two stand in an awkward silence, both looking at the floor until Miss Stacey opens her door and calls Anne in.

It turns out to be nothing serious – Miss Stacey was just worried about how uncharacteristically quiet Anne had been throughout the day. Anne assures her that it’s nothing and is sent on her way back to Green Gables. Gilbert is still in the classroom when she leaves Miss Stacey’s office, so he must have something to ask their teacher. His cheeks are still red, and they both steadfastly avoid each other’s gaze as Anne hurries to leave.

\--

That night (after Anne has said her prayers) she thinks about what Gilbert said. She doesn’t ponder on his strange behaviour, because that’s a waste of her time. Instead, she thinks about his description of liking someone. It _did_ seem similar to what she’s read in books, just less tragical, so Anne assumes it must be correct. This begs the question – does Anne _like_ Diana? She feels just as Gilbert described, after all. Diana is almost always the complete focus of Anne’s attention – Anne is always thinking of new stories to tell Diana, and when they’re together she wants all of Diana’s focus to be on her. Previously Anne had just thought that this is how one felt about best friends (she’d never had one before, so she wouldn’t know), but is it really something else?

Tomorrow is a Saturday, which means that while Anne will have more chores, she’ll also have more free time. Anne resolves to go over to Diana’s tomorrow and tell her how she’s feeling. Communication is key, and Anne would rather die than ruin their relationship by keeping such a big secret. This time when Anne falls asleep, she doesn’t dream at all.

\--

The next morning isn’t anything special or monumental, though Anne feels that it should be. Milking the cows and fetching the eggs feels so mundane – it’s too mundane of a start for what could potentially be the day Anne loses her best friend. Even the sky isn’t cooperating; it’s sunny without a cloud to be seen, when it _feels_ like it should be pouring cold, bitter rain. Everyone at Green Gables notices something wrong with Anne but none of them dare ask – not after she nearly cries during breakfast when Marilla tries to get an explanation. Anne doesn’t notice the weird tension she’s creating, because she’s too caught up in her mind. She can’t decide how she’ll tell Diana; should she be apologetic and ashamed? Or should she act like it doesn’t matter, that Anne _hasn’t _been thinking of pressing her lips to Diana’s every second of the last three days?

By the time she’s finished her chores and is ready to go to the Barry’s Anne still hasn’t decided on what she’s going to say, despite the fact that it is now after lunch. The walk over to the Barry’s is torture and Anne’s legs feel like they weigh a thousand pounds each. By the time she reaches their door Anne has talked herself out of and back into confessing to Diana what feels like hundreds of times.

Mrs. Barry answers the door and doesn’t hesitate before calling Diana. Anne rarely spends time over, but her presence on the porch has practically become a permanent fixture in the house. Diana doesn’t take long to bound downstairs and to the front door, leaving Anne with no time to figure out an excuse as to why she wants to spend time with Diana today. Luckily, Diana doesn’t ask too many questions and before Anne knows it the two of them are off to the field where they so often spend their time.

“So,” Diana says, “what do you want to do? Do you have any new stories for me?” Her eyes glint in excitement. “I’m afraid I haven’t written any since we last met.”

“Oh, that’s okay!” Anne puts her hand on Diana’s shoulder and tries not to look like she’s trying to soak the touch in as much she can. “It _is_ harder to write now that… you know.” Neither of them likes to mention the destruction of their hideout. Diana nods, looking sadly at the ground for a moment before bounding forward and sitting at the base of a familiar tree. They often sit here and swap stories when it’s too hot to sit in a cramped building. Anne sits down beside her more hesitantly.

“So?” Diana prompts. “Your story?”

Anne gulps. She doesn’t actually have anything planned, and Diana’s heard all of her stories already. It would be much too awkward now to suddenly confess, so Anne doesn’t know what to do. Suddenly, an idea comes to her.

“Okay.” Anne clears her throat and begins. “This story I’ve just started – it’s a tragical romance filled with horrendous battles and epic feats of bravery. The protagonist is a knight – she is the most elegant and beautiful knight in all the land. Her hair is as dark as the night and her smile as bright as the sun. Life always shines in her eyes.” Anne is nervous about the description, but she tries not to show it. Diana doesn’t seem to notice anything strange; she just looks excited for Anne to continue the story. “She could have armies fight for her just from a single glance at her face, but she chooses to fight amongst them. This knight is wise and kind and compassionate – everyone in the kingdom loves her.

Then, one day, in between wars and conquests, she hears a whisper about a girl who’s been trapped in a cottage by an evil witch. Nobody else cares about this girl – she’s plain and redheaded, everyone says. She’ll never make a good wife, so why bother rescuing her? But the knight has vowed to protect all in her land, so she races to the evil witch’s cottage.”

Now Anne can’t bear looking at Diana – she stares at the ground, at the sky, and the leaves, anywhere but Diana. It seems so harshly obvious to her that she’s talking about the two of them, and Anne doesn’t yet want to know how Diana is reacting.

“There is a great battle against the witch’s evil minions, but the knight comes out victorious as she always does. Inside the cottage lies the plain girl who the knight has just fought for – she lays in a terrible slumber, cast upon her before the witch moments before her death. The only way to break the spell is a kiss – true love’s kiss. As the knight looks down upon the girl, she decides to take a chance – she presses her lips to the girls. It works – the girl wakes, and the knight finds that she is a very good wife indeed, and an even better sidekick. Then, they live happily ever after.” Anne finishes quietly. She almost startles as Diana begins clapping lightly. Finally, Anne manages to look up at her. Diana is beaming, her cheeks slightly red (and Anne tries not to think too hard about that).

“Oh Anne,” Diana exclaims, “that sounds like a wonderful story!”

“You don’t… _mind_ that it’s about two girls?” Anne says in a voice so meek it’s practically a whisper. Diana’s smile falls, just a little bit.

“I-I know how I acted, back at Aunt Josephine’s soiree. I know it was wrong.” Diana explains. “I’ve already apologized to Aunt Josephine, but I suppose I never told you…” Diana trails off into thought, then straightens her shoulders and looks Anne straight in the eyes. “Thanks partially to you, Anne, I now know that the world is much bigger than I thought it was. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with two women being in love. In fact, I think it’s beautiful.”

The strength in Diana’s voice almost brings Anne to tears. She can tell that her best friend really means what she’s saying. Anne can barely believe that _she’s_ helped someone change their mind – sometimes she feels like she can barely change her own.

“It’s you.” Anne blurts, and oh _no_. She hadn’t planned on saying that! Not like this! Diana looks at her in confusion, and Anne continues, at the mercy of her foolish heart. “The knight. It’s you. And – and I want you to kiss me.” Anne feels like her head is about to explode with how hot it is and the butterflies in her stomach feel like they have turned into birds trying to peck their way out.

Diana, meanwhile, has transitioned from confusion to shock. Her face is trying to pale and blush at the same leaving her cheeks blotchy, and her mouth hangs open just a tad. Though her chest moves like she’s going to speak, Diana doesn’t make a sound. Her eyes directed towards Anne’s face but they’re unfocused, like Diana is mentally somewhere else. Finally, Anne can’t take the silence anymore.

“Diana. _Please_ say something.” She pleads, and this seems to snap Diana out of what ever daydream she had been in.

Diana lunges forward off her tree root and into Anne, knocking them both backwards and onto the ground. Before Anne can even comprehend what has happened Diana is leaning over her and placing her lips on Anne’s. It’s awkward and kind of weird – Anne doesn’t have time to close her mouth so the two clink teeth at first. Neither of them knows what they’re doing, and Anne doesn’t know what a kiss is supposed to be like, but this kiss is still _perfect_. It’s everything Anne had imagined and more because this isn’t Diana the knight – this is Diana Barry, Anne’s best friend in the _entire _world. This is Diana Barry, who’s kissing Anne Shirley-Cuthbert gently, like she might break, but also with more passion than Anne has seen or felt in her entire life.

Finally, the two break apart. A beaming smile graces Diana’s face, and Anne can feel a similar one crossing her own. They sit back up but move no farther, still sitting mere inches for each other. Diana’s hands find Anne’s – they clutch at each other in the small space between their laps.

“So,” Anne says softly, “what now?” Diana’s smile drops, and Anne feels like she’s been punched in the stomach as it does.

“Oh, Anne.” Diana says, and Anne’s heart clenches when she sees the tears welling in Diana’s eyes. “I don’t know! We live in _Avonlea_; how can we possibly do this? What will everyone think?”

Anne shakes her head. “Don’t think about everyone else – not right now. Right now, let’s think of us. What are we?”

“I-I don’t know. Lovers?” Diana suggest, but she looks uncomfortable at the suggestion. Anne feels the same – the word sounds awfully grown up and so very foreign.

“…Partners?” Anne suggests back after a moment of contemplation. Diana smiles softly and nods.

“Partners,” she says, “I like it.”

Anne’s heart soars at the smile on her beloved’s face and she can’t help but press a kiss to Diana’s cheek.

“But,” Diana says, and Anne tenses, “I can’t help but worry about everyone else. What happens if they find out? They _can’t_ find out!” The fear in Diana’s eyes is so intense that Anne’s heart hurts.

“They won’t.” Anne promises. Diana looks doubtful, but Anne continues before she can interrupt. “And, if they somehow do, then we’ll run off together. Someplace full of adventure, where I can be a writer and a teacher of foreign subjects and you can be – well, anything you want to be. We’ll be married, even if it’s only in the eyes of God. Or, maybe we’ll just go live with Aunt Josephine.” Anne finishes sheepishly. “That is probably the easiest solution even if it _is_ the least romantic.”

Anne expects a chuckle at her ideals, as she usually receives one, but Diana is too busy staring at Anne in shock, again.

“You’d marry me?” Diana breathes, and then Anne’s blush is back.

“I-“ Anne thinks of trying to backtrack but decides against it. “Yes! Diana Barry I would marry you! I knew I would spend my whole life with you even when you were only my bosom friend. Now is no different, except I rather hope it will involve more kissing.” 

Diana laughs and throws her arms around Anne’s neck, hugging the redhead close to her chest.

“Oh Anne.” She says fondly, and Anne smiles into her hair.

Eventually they pull apart, smiles once again on their faces. As Anne takes in Diana’s beautiful face her heart starts to flutter, and she remembers how distraught she was just the day before. She starts laughing so suddenly that Diana looks concerned.

“Diana!” Anne exclaims between laughs, “I thought I was going mad!”

Then both are laughing uproariously because it’s both hilarious and not funny at all. Anne is thankful that she has Diana by her side – she couldn’t ask for anyone better.

\--

The rest of the afternoon is spent laughing and cuddling in the shade of their tree – every so often they exchange a kiss, but Anne doesn’t want the novelty of it to wear off too soon (even though she’s not sure if it ever will). Both girls go home happy – not even the knowledge of how harsh the world is can dwindle their spirits. There will always be a place for them, like Aunt Josephine’s, even if those places must be a secret in Avonlea. Now that the writing hideout is destroyed their secret places are dwindling, but Anne isn’t too worried.

The world is a large place, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> y'all this was supposed to be short! instead its 5000 words with more additions on the way....
> 
> if you want to read about gilbert being an ally and anne coming out to ruby, cole, marilla, matthew, and jerry then leave a comment or kudos!! i'm most likely going to add them, especially if people want them! 
> 
> but im also working two other fics (an anne/ruby one and an anne/jerry one) that im desperately trying to get out before season 3, so updates might not be super soon.
> 
> sidenote: this was kind of based off my experience of having a friend who i talked to every single day and i thought was super cool. i was like "i just think about her laugh all the time because i really want to be friends :)" until one random day she was laughing at my jokes and i was like "hm. okay so maybe im love her". fun fac


End file.
